Cuomo signs bill to fine boaters who don't wash vessel

Boaters who don't wash their boats before entering New York waterways will soon face fines under a bill signed Tuesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

"We all share a responsibility to protect our natural environment, and this legislation helps ensure that all who enjoy New York’s waters will also do their part to limit the spread of different types of aquatic life that would otherwise harm the local ecosystem," Cuomo said in a statement.

Over the next year, the state Department of Environmental Conservation will develop rules and regulations that will more clearly define how boaters must clean their vessels before entering the water. Once the law takes effect, boaters will be subject to fines for violating those rules.

Once the law takes effect, boaters will receive a warning the first time they are caught entering water without cleaning, drying and draining their vessel and trailer. A second offense brings a fine of $150 and a third carries a $250 fine.

For a fourth offense and every one there after, boaters would face a fine of at least $250 and not more than $1,000, according to the new law.

The state Legislature passed the bill in June just before lawmakers left the Capitol for the year. The law is something of a trial period: It will expire June 1, 2019.

It was sponsored by the two lawmakers who represent Ithaca: Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, D-Ithaca, and Sen. Thomas O'Mara, R-Big Flats, Chemung County. Hydrilla can be found in some Ithaca-area waterways, including Fall Creek.

"This is a promising new day in our battle against aquatic invasive species that threaten our high-quality water resources and the recreational and economic benefits they provide,” Lifton said.